Transitioning from Mint Linux

English Install/Boot/Login
1

I just installed 12.3 (64 bit) on my Dell PC, replacing what was actually a very nice Mint Linux install. I’m mostly enjoying figuring out the changes to a KDE/SUSE environment.

However:

  • I was astonished that wireless networking didn’t just work on this fresh install. It did work flawlessly when running off of the USB stick, but it involved way too much digging and fiddling to bring it to life after the hard drive install. This one would have stopped a non-geek dead. Especially since the lack of Internet means no access to help files on-line and forums.

  • Still haven’t managed to get my printer going (An older Samsung laser). Yast can see it, but needs a driver file installed somehow. Wow. Holey 1980’s Windows Batman… It has literally been years since I used any OS that didn’t just recognize a printer and make it work automatically. CUPS’ install printer tool asked for a login, and when I give my username and password became crippled and refused to so anything else. “add printer” yields: Add Printer Error - Unable to add printer: Forbidden

Nope, no idea what the means either.

I have two monitors. I tried out Crunchbang linux last week. Setting up to use side by side monitors literally involved opening the config app, dragging the right hand monitor block to beside the left hand monitor block, and closing the app. ONE Step and it all worked lovely.

Now, I will eventually get past these things but really, the openSUSE people really should be comparing themselves to other distros to see how things can be done better.

2

Do read release notes. The thing about network is mentioned.
https://www.suse.com/releasenotes/x86_64/openSUSE/12.3/
Most of the proprietary stuff cannot be included in the main distribution which the root cause for not giving a finished product to the end users.

3

On 2013-05-18 22:46, appalbarry wrote:
>
> I just installed 12.3 (64 bit) on my Dell PC, replacing what was
> actually a very nice Mint Linux install. I’m mostly enjoying figuring
> out the changes to a KDE/SUSE environment.

Welcome :slight_smile:

> However:
>
> - I was astonished that wireless networking didn’t just work on this
> fresh install. It did work flawlessly when running off of the USB stick,
> but it involved way too much digging and fiddling to bring it to life
> after the hard drive install. This one would have stopped a non-geek
> dead. Especially since the lack of Internet means no access to help
> files on-line and forums.

You have to read the release notes before installing, it is mentioned
there :slight_smile:

Yes, we all have been caught by that particular problem, it is a
nuisance. Everybody knows about it :-p

> - Still haven’t managed to get my printer going (An older Samsung
> laser). Yast can see it, but needs a driver file installed somehow. Wow.
> Holey 1980’s Windows Batman… It has literally been years since I used
> any OS that didn’t just recognize a printer and make it work
> automatically. CUPS’ install printer tool asked for a login, and when I
> give my username and password became crippled and refused to so anything
> else. “add printer” yields: Add Printer Error - Unable to add printer:
> Forbidden

root/password :slight_smile:

It may be possible to add printers as plain user, but for that you would
have to configure cups first. I have not done that particular config, so
I don’t know what exactly to change, I would have to read the docs.

Typically in openSUSE you use YaST to add a printer, at least the first
time, so that cups is initialized.

There is, or there was, a package that autoconfigured usb printers when
connected. I can’t remember the name, and I always removed it.

> Now, I will eventually get past these things but really, the openSUSE
> people really should be comparing themselves to other distros to see how
> things can be done better.

Why don’t you think they don’t?

Things are simply different here, you simply have to get used to the
differences. :slight_smile:

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 12.1 x86_64 “Asparagus” at Telcontar)

4

Sorry Carlos, but we’re at a point where stuff like networking and printing *should *just work out of the box with any top-line distro.

Even crunchbang, which has pretty much zero in terms of easy, GUI configuration tools, got those things right first try.

Dunno, maybe it’s a Debian thing, maybe the success of Ubuntu has pushed that community to get all of these things right, but getting SUSE up and running felt way too much like the Linux of ten years ago when people thought there was some prestige is hacking your way around the command line while reading obscure MAN pages.

As for reading release notes, I’ll be honest. If I’m running a plain vanilla Dell PC that’s a few years old, I’m going to expect that any major distro will work right immediately. If this was some home-built, overclocked oddity, then yeah that would make sense. But it’s not.

There’s a lot to like about openSUSE, but installation needs some work.

5

The secret to openSUSE is familiarity. I’ve been using this distro for many years and never tried another linux distro in a long while.
The hints of the posters who responded to your post is a good start in understanding openSUSE to avoid the rants and frustrations of migrants from another distro.

When things work in openSUSE, that will be the time you will realize it’s pretty.:wink:

6

Eh this is a terrible assumption.
Different distros have different policies regarding proprietary drivers and such.
Some like mint ignore it as does Ubuntu.
Some value not slapping proprietary drivers like openSUSE.
While not a “modern” approach I cant blame some reluctance on these drives, as using them by default can get some distros into trouble.

7

On 2013-05-19 06:56, appalbarry wrote:
>
> Sorry Carlos, but we’re at a point where stuff like networking and
> printing -should -just work out of the box with any top-line distro.

It does work out of the box for me. It always has the 15 years I have
been using it. You have to learn where the handles are, that’s all -
because every distro is different.

And as MadmanRB says, openSUSE respects certain laws, meaning that
proprietary stuff such as Nvidia drivers or multimedia codecs are not
included in the official repositories, you get them instead from other
people based on countries where such laws do not apply, or from the
concerned proprietary party concerned.

Things are different here. Don’t tell us “it works with Ubuntu or Mint”,
it doesn’t cut.

According to the Wikipedia, Mint includes Flash “out of the box”.
openSUSE doesn’t. Why? Read the license of flash:

> 3.3 Distribution. This license does not grant you the right to sublicense or distribute the
> Software. For information about obtaining the right to distribute the Software on tangible
> media or through an internal network or with your product or service please refer
> to http://www.adobe.com/go/acrobat_distribute for information about Adobe Reader;
> or http://www.adobe.com/go/licensing for information about the Adobe Runtimes.

Thus it is not included in the DVD. Instead what is installed is the
package “pullin-flash-player” which has a script that downloads it from
Adobe servers.

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 12.1 x86_64 “Asparagus” at Telcontar)

8

Yes, different philosophies. I’ve been using debian/ubuntu variants for so long that I hadn’t considered that.

Anyhow, for those who in future find this via Google:

WIFI: Going from memory, I had to open up a Networking configuration panel and turn on networking. Unfortunately I honestly can’t find it again. The main point is, with a little digging it wasn’t that hard.

Printing was an entirely different thing. Samsung offers a “Unified Linux Driver”. It includes an installer.

It did not though make things print, although it did install an icon on the desktop which opened up into a very pretty control center.

I could see the printer in all of the usual places, and it looked as if it should work, but it didn’t.

Thanks to the Gods of Google I found a blog postwhich gave me the solution.
I looked through cups logs and found this error message:
Filter “/usr/lib/cups/filter/rastertosamsungspl” for printer “Samsung_SCX-4200_Series” not available: No such file or directory.

rastertosamsungspl file was found in Samsung driver package and copied to filters directory.
Printer works fine now.

I did the same - found the “filters” folder in the Samsung package, and copied the contents into /usr/lib/cups/filter/. All is good.

9

In openSUSE (notice the open in the name) almost all system configuration is don in a program called Yast. You will find network setup there amoung a ton of other things.

10

On 2013-05-19 22:06, gogalthorp wrote:
>
> In openSUSE (notice the open in the name) almost all system
> configuration is don in a program called Yast. You will find network
> setup there amoung a ton of other things.

Indeed.

Yast printer setup has the configuration for the Samsung ML-1710 printer
out of the box. I have it open right now - but of course, I’m not going
to install it, I don’t have such a printer to try if it works.

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 12.1 x86_64 “Asparagus” at Telcontar)